2025 Shanghai Bike Show: all the bikes and shiny-new tech

Affordable mountain bikes, DJI-equipped e-MTBs and tonnes of fresh tech.

off.road.cc staff

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May 7 2025

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[Words and photography by Andi Sykes]

2025 marks the 33rd year of the China Cycle show. Held in Shanghai at the New International Expo Centre, the show has grown in size and popularity over the years. In the early days of the the halls (all 10 of them) would be sparsely populated by a mixture of international brands displaying their products and domestic factories hoping to drum up some new business, but things have changed a lot with Chinese factories now running seriously impressive brands, producing some of the most interesting products out there.

I’ve spent three days wandering wide-eyed through the packed halls, and if this were an article on everything I saw – well, we would need a completely separate website to cover it all! So instead, I’m going to focus on the bikes, products, and brands that jumped out of the booth and slapped me in the face.

Timetry Bikes

The first bike that had me stop in my tracks at China Cycle was this beautiful alloy mid-pivot bike from Timetry Bikes based in Tianjin. This was the first public appearance of the bike, and in fact, the bike had only just made it to the show on time.

While it may look like an all-out enduro bike at first glance, this, currently unnamed model, boasts 140mm of rear wheel travel out of the box, but it can be upped to 170mm with some changes to the CNC-machined linkage. The frame lines are super clean and simple, with ease of maintenance being the name of the game thanks to full external cable and hose routing. The geometry is what you would expect from a modern trail/enduro bike with a seat angle of 78-degrees, a head angle of 64.5-degrees and a reach of 455mm for a medium-sized frame.

Also on display was this equally stunning steel full suspension model from Timetry, again a new model which they are finalising. The bike uses single gauge steel tubing to keep the cost low, and features neat bearing housing and beautifully clean welds. Like its alloy sibling, we get a CNC-machined one-piece rocker and external cable routing. Geometry numbers are again on point with a head angle of 63.8-degrees and the seatpost settling at 77.8-degrees, based around a 160mm travel fork. Three sizes will be available from S-L, with reach figures ranging from 445-490mm.

Velduro Rogue

Velduo had its DJI-powered Phantom gravel bike on display at the show. The stealth black gravel bike has already started to stir up the market with rave reviews in New Zealand, and the bike has won a gold design award at China Cycle. Now the team wants to disrupt the e-MTB market with the Rogue, a mid-pivot, full carbon e-MTB powered by DJI’s highly popular Avinox system.

The bike on display was a 3d-printed prototype, but the guys at the booth explained that carbon bikes would be hitting trails in New Zealand for testing from 10th June. The Rogue has been developed with rider input, and the suspension kinematic has been developed by i-Track Suspension, based in Australia.

While kinematic details are still hush-hush, what we do know is the 160mm travel bike has been designed to be built at a weight of around 22kg with a 800wh battery and customers will have the option of two complete builds and a frame only option that will come pre-wired and fitted with the DJI Avinox system.

The smart design has an uninterrupted seat tube allowing riders to run a fully slammed 240mm dropper post, and there’s the adaptability to run the Rogue either as a mullet or full 29er.

This is certainly one to look out for and a bike that’s sure to grab some serious attention once launched especially at the prices that Dan, at Velduro, quoted to us which would have a top spec complete bike priced at £7,500, the mid range bike at £6,000 and a frame only option priced at an impressive £4,000. Those prices may fluctuate due to market changes, but this is very exciting nonetheless!

Velduro Phantom

As mentioned above, Velduro also has a DJI-powered gravel bike named the Phantom. Like the Rogue above, the Phantom follows Velduro’s core values of full carbon bikes powered by the Avinox motor, developed for riders with feedback from riders. Again, the Phantom will be offered in two build kits and as a frame only.

QuickPro

Like many Chinese bike brands, QuickPro started as a road bike brand, and, in fact, it currently supports one of the top UCI teams in China with road bikes and components. It was its employees' love for mountain biking that eventually led them to design a range of mountain bikes, which now has downhill, enduro, and cross-country categories covered.

What strikes me when speaking to most of the guys at QuickPro, and most other Chinese brands for that matter, was that their mountain bike products have been developed with a passion for the sport in mind rather than the hope to fill a hole in the market and make money. This leads to long and carefully thought-out research and development timelines that give birth to impressive-looking products like these.

QuickPro prides itself on quality and durability, so it only uses high-end carbon fibre for its products and tests everything with top Chinese riders to ensure they live up to the job. While an in-house design, it's clear that both the downhill and enduro bikes had been inspired by Nukeproof bikes, the Giga in particular, but the addition of an idler and higher pivot placement promises a very different ride characteristic.

The QuickPro Gravity is a 200mm travel downhill bike available as a frame-only option, or as two complete builds, a more affordable bike with RockShox suspension, and this flagship model with Ohlins. In the Chinese domestic market, this top-of-the-range model costs less than £5,000.

While very similar in design, the enduro-focused QuickPro Force produces 170mm of rear wheel travel. Four complete builds are available as well as a frame-only option with pricing topping out at under £4,500 for the Ohlins-spec bike. QuickPro has gone for a slightly shorter reach to offer a more playful ride with a large frame getting 465mm of reach, a 78-degree seat tube angle and a 64-degree head angle.

MGM Magnetic Gear Motor

MGM’s new Magnetic Gear Motor is completely silent and more durable than other motors on the market as it uses magnets rather than nylon or metal gearing, this also has the added benefit of having almost zero drag meaning an eMTB with more efficiency and one that rides just like a normal MTB once you get past the assist cut-off point.

Specs for the motor aren’t quite at the level that DJI is putting out, with just 80Nm of torque, but the 2.3kg unit is very compact and integrates into the frame rather neatly like a TQ motor. With smaller battery options to what we’re seeing from Bosch, Shimano and DJI, MGM might be on the cusp of reinventing what a super light e-MTB could be. Imagine an SL bike with a super compact motor, zero drag, 80Nm, and a smaller battery that still offers a good range. Sounds too good to be true, right? But apparently, some big-name brands have already shown interest.

Lewis

Component maker Lewis might have made a name for itself producing CNC-machined brake systems, as used by the Intense DH team, but plans on introducing a whole range of new alloy and titanium products.

The alloy crankset with large cut-outs and eye-catching anodised finishes has been tested on social media for months but, at the show, both alloy and titanium variants were on display alongside a new low-profile pedal design that will also be offered in both material options. Prices haven’t been confirmed, but the Ti chainset is expected to go on sale for around US$1,000 while the alloy version could cost much less and closer to the $200 mark.

Lewis wasn’t stopping there, though, and it plans to offer component options for riders to fully deck their bikes out with the brand's distinctive parts. So if you already have a pair of Lewis brakes and plan on picking up the chainset and pedals, you may also be interested in a new Lewis stem, with a wider than standard bar clamp, Lewis chainrings, and possibly even a Lewis handlebar.

Extension Bikes C165

This stunning carbon fibre bike is the Extension C165, the brainchild of engineer and Extension Bike founder Lucky. The C165 sees a new direction for the brand, which had specialised in trials bikes and dirt jump frames over the years.

The raw carbon frame produces 165mm of rear wheel travel via a custom suspension layout that provides a great pedalling platform and resistance to bottoming out while riding hard with a slight rearward axle stroke. Looking at the finish of the frame you wouldn’t expect it to come from a rather small manufacturer, the carbon is finished to the highest standard with very neat design choices including a recess for the rear shock to sit up out of the way along the top tube, and even a CAT 5 rating which has seen the C165 tested and approved for use with dual crown forks.

Extension has its own CNC machining facilities, meaning that it's able to produce the linkages in-house, which also allows the team there to make changes and prototype fairly quickly. While Extension didn’t have an official booth at the show, the bike did grab a lot of attention.

Lucky is extremely proud of his bike and the design work he has put into it, and I highly recommend you visit the Extension website to learn all about it in full. Also, keep an eye out for the latest bike, which takes the design of the C165 but brings it to alloy with a few geometry updates.

Wissco

Wissco is the domestic brand name for Chinese manufacturer PSJ, and again, while this is a large factory (celebrating 25 years this year), the team behind the MTB division is driven by passionate mountain bikers who just want to produce high-performance products for the local market.

What’s great to see is Wissco’s involvement with mountain bike racing, which is set to grow substantially in China this year, and sponsor the current National Downhill Champion. This orange and pink bike is his bike, which was raced at the 2025 Asia DH champs earlier this year.

It's another perfect example of the best the West and Chinese brands have to offer, with the bike featuring RST suspension, SUHR brakes, and Peatys grips. While not a downhill bike, the 170mm travel mid-pivot bike must be able to handle everything that China’s downhill tracks have to offer.

XDS Nakota

XDS is a manufacturing powerhouse, producing frames for not only itself but also some of the largest bike brands on the planet. While their road bikes drew huge crowds, it was the new ‘3 horse’ MTB range that caught my attention.

Aimed at young riders wanting high performance on a budget, the three alloy bikes are all full suspension designs and feature a really nice mix of Chinese and international components to make for impressive specs.

The star of the show was the 29-inch wheeled XDS Nokota (International name). Boasting a mid-pivot suspension design (there’s a trend here), and running the latest suspension from Kind Shocks' sub-brand EXA. The Nokota is available in sizes M and L only, making them suitable for teenagers or adults below 180cm who want all the bells and whistles without the associated cost.

The Nokota on display featured SRAM GX AXS and Continental tyres, and will sell domestically for just £1300, but if that’s too much for your budget to swallow, an £800 version is also going to be offered with a mechanical drivetrain.

SUHR R740 Brakes

If you’re wondering how China’s national downhill champ keeps his speed under control, then wonder no more! The SUHR R740 brakes have been developed with input from the national champ and also alongside testing brakes from the German brand, Trickstuff. As such, the four-piston R740 has the same feel to the EU-produced brake, at least on the stand, but we suspect they offer similar levels of power, too, but at a fraction of the cost.

Teewing Turbo Force Pro

Teewing, if you haven’t already heard, has entered the e-MTB market with its DJI-powered e-MTB and, like Amflow, has done so at the more affordable end of the spectrum. The bikes which are currently available in Europe, ship from as little as €5,500, but this is their top spec, Turbo Force Pro, which has AXS gears and dropper as well as RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate suspension, which retails at €8,699. Whichever model you choose, each Turbo Force frame produces 150mm of rear wheel travel with 160mm up front, and rolls on dual 29-inch wheels. The carbon frame weighs an impressive 2.37kg and is a category 4-rated.

Internally, there is an 800Wh Avinox power, and keeping the momentum is that powerful DJI Avinox motor complete with an integrated screen and wireless controllers.

The paintwork on this build is called Impasto Brown, and it looks incredible in the sunlight; however, if you fancy a more subtle look to your bike, there is also a Cosmic Black option that has a subtle glitter effect to it.

Teewing Force trail bikes come in M, L, and XL, all with a 77-degree seat tube angle, 64.5-degree head angle, and race figures from 453mm all the way up to a whopping 500mm.

DNIS Brakes

DNIS brakes weren’t officially at the Cycle Show in Shanghai, but the head marketing guy, Tony, was doing the rounds and getting his brand’s brakes into the hands of anyone showing interest. Let’s not beat around the bush with this, it’s clear the DNIS has taken heavy heavy inspiration from Hope with its V4 brake, and while you might not agree with that, it seems to be working for the brand with brakes proving to be so popular they we’re unable to bring their V6 (six-piston) brake to show us as they have sold out.

While the design is obviously a copy, the quality of the machining is top notch, as is the lasering and anodising, which is very impressive considering DNIS is a two-person show!

As you can see from the photos, the levers have bite point and lever throw adjustments, and the large pads get huge alloy fins to aid cooling and prevent brake fade under aggressive riding.

Smartmotion

Weighing in at just 20kg and featuring a multitude of battery options, the Smartmotion Xplore is a mid-weight, mid-power carbon e-MTB. As the name would suggest, this Bafang M820-powered EMTB is built to cover some ground, and a range of battery options means you can spec the Xplore out as you want. If you want a lightweight swap in a 360Wh battery, if you want to balance range with weight, there is a 540Wh option, or if you want to lap all day long, max it out with a 720Wh battery. If that’s not enough, the frame has space for two water bottles, or a single water bottle and an external range extender for even more ride time!

A full-colour display is integrated into the top tube, giving the rider access to a whole host of ride stats and also giving a visual indication of which of the four power modes the bike is in, Eco, Normal, Sport, or Boost.

Smartmotion sells the Xplore in either medium or large sizes, both of which are built around a multi-wheelset. There are also a couple of build options. The RockShox-equipped model seen here and a more upmarket Fox Performance Elite, Shimano XT build.

So, there we have it, by no means a definitive list of what was on show at the 33rd China Cycle show in Shanghai, but a good portion of the highlights, and an indication of the direction the Chinese bicycle market is going in.

What do you think of these brands, components, and bikes? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.